2006 FIBA World Championship

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2006 FIBA World Championship

The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th men's basketball world championship. It was held in Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. The event was organized by FIBA, the Japan Basketball Association, and the 2006 Organising Committee.

Twenty-four national teams from five continents competed, up from 2002. The games were played in five cities across Japan: Sendai, Hiroshima, Hamamatsu, Sapporo, and Saitama (where the knockout rounds took place). A total of 80 games were played.

Spain won the tournament, claiming their first FIBA World Championship title by defeating Greece 70–47 in the final. Spain won all nine of their games. Pau Gasol was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, while Yao Ming was the top scorer, averaging 25.3 points per game.

The United States finished third after beating Argentina 96–81 in the bronze medal game, following a semifinal loss to Greece. Notably, this event remains the only World Championship Finals in which neither Yugoslavia (or its successor states) nor the United States reached the final, up to 2019. It was also the final tournament for the Serbia and Montenegro team before the country split into separate nations.

Host Japan would later host another edition of the tournament in 2023, now called the World Cup, held in Okinawa with the Philippines and Indonesia.

Teams and qualification
The 24 teams included Spain, Greece, the United States, Argentina, China, Italy, Brazil, Lithuania, Turkey, Serbia and Montenegro, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Angola, Lebanon, Nigeria, New Zealand, Panama, Qatar, Puerto Rico, Senegal, Slovenia, and Venezuela. Japan automatically qualified as host, Argentina qualified as the 2004 Olympic champion, and several teams received wild-card invitations. The draw for the tournament took place in Tokyo on January 15, 2006.

Tournament format
Group play was held in four cities (Sendai, Hiroshima, Hamamatsu, Sapporo). The medal rounds took place in Saitama. The event featured 24 teams, with a total of 80 games across the tournament.